How significant was the work of President Kennedy in bringing about change in US society?

   JFK

Kennedy's achievements apart from civil rights: the New Frontier

Kennedy's New Frontier - You Tube film by US high school student including Kennedy's speech and election propaganda
School history - website set up by UK history teachers
Learn history - website by a UK history teacher
Wikipedia on the New Frontier

Kennedy and civil rights

Kennedy's civil rights speech 1963 on You Tube
Learn history - website by a UK history teacher
History Learning Site - website by a UK history teacher
Matthew Countryman - website by Professor of History, University of Michigan
New York Times - by Peniel E Joseph, Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Democracy and Professor of History at Tufts University
The Atlantic - by Jonathan Rieder, Professor of Sociology at Columbia University
US News and World Report - by Robert Schlesinger, Managing Editor
Wikipedia on Kennedy's civil rights address on TV
John F Kennedy Presidential Library
American Experience - TV History series in the USA

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You will need to look at

• ·       how significant Kennedy was in bringing about change in civil rights.

AND

• ·       how significant Kennedy was in bringing about other changes.

You will need to find out

• ·       what he did and did not do
• ·       different views about Kennedy’s significance

You will then need to come to your own conclusions.

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Possible structures. (You may decide on others as a result of your research; or you may want to combine ideas from different structures).

Possible structure A: CHRONOLOGICAL

·       Introduction: Kennedy’s promises before election.

·       Kennedy and the Freedom Rides.

·       Kennedy and Birmingham.

·       Kennedy and the March on Washington.

·       The Civil Rights Bill.

·       Impact of the assassination.

·       Conclusion: Kennedy’s significance in bringing about change.

Possible structure B: EXPLORING SIGNIFICANCE

·       Introduction: what is meant by ‘significance’.

·       Points supporting the idea that he was significant in change over civil rights.

·       Points opposing the idea that he was significant in change over civil rights.

·       Other significant factors that brought about change.

·       Kennedy’s significance in other changes in US society, eg. The New Frontier.

·       Conclusion: Kennedy’s significance in bringing about change.

Possible structure C: KENNEDY’S MOTIVES

·       Introduction: questioning Kennedy’s commitment to civil rights and social change.

·       Evidence that Kennedy was committed to civil rights and social change.

·       Evidence that Kennedy was not committed to civil rights and social change.

·       Other issues that Kennedy prioritised during his presidency.

·       Conclusion: Kennedy’s significance in bringing about change.

Possible structure D: EXTENT OF CHANGE

·       Introduction: examining how much change actually happened.

·       Evidence that there was significant change in US society under  or because of Kennedy.

·       Evidence that there was very little change in US society  under or because of  Kennedy.

·       Conclusion: how much changed and how much this was due to Kennedy.